How Gen Z voters will influence 2027 political dynamics

A political storm is gathering across the country as young people throw their weight into political tussles ahead of the 2027 General Election in a dash into a playing field that has been dominated by the old and retirees for several years.

This comes as several youths expressed their resolve to participate in the mass voter registration  exercise to prepare to send home what they described as rogue political leaders leading the country into an intergenerational, irreparable mess.

Speaking separately to The Sunday Standard, the youths, as well as youthful aspirants, who have attained the age of eighteen years to qualify eligibility in the next general election as voters, said they were genuinely concerned about the fate of the country’s leadership, which they agree their future was tied to.

Their resolve appears to have prompted political parties to rethink their strategies even as they prepare for the upcoming by-elections that have attracted several youthful aspirants.

So dominant have been the veteran politicians in past polls that nearly all contests have been easily predictable in terms of the faces angling for seats. In some places, past political rejects attempting to revive their careers, retired civil servants seeking a retirement package in politics, and allies of political stalwarts and regional kingpins have been in the lineups for various contests.

But if all goes according to plan, the country may witness more youthful faces in parliament, starting off with the upcoming by-elections scheduled for November that have already attracted a handful of young people.

Observers believe the participation of more young people in elections will be a massive game-changer and could alter the country's political matrix if more young people register as voters and contest seats.

According to Christable Azangalala, a youth advocate for young people in politics, youth should come out in large numbers and take up elective positions so that they can set their own agenda besides putting the government in check.

"We have seen young people going for elective seats in this by-election. Our rallying call and awareness is to have a youth for youth situation in our leadership. We are seeing more young men coming up, but we would like to see more young women also because they are the most vulnerable when things go wrong," said Azangalala.

The developments come at a time when youths in some parts of the country are leading a drive to ensure that more register as voters ahead of the 2027 General Election.  In Kirinyaga, for instance, veteran politicians like Governor Anne Waiguru have opted to support the youth agenda and is among the leaders now pushing for the enlistment of more young people as voters.

On Saturday, Waiguru claimed that the youth will shape the 2027 General Election, but must enlist as voters and also go for elective seats.

It, however, remains to be seen if the youth's anger that was demonstrated in the relentless protests against President William Ruto's administration will translate into mass voter registration by the group.

In a bid to stay relevant with a critical voting group, several political parties are fronting younger people to compete for the seats.

In some regions, political parties have steered away from endorsing elderly titans in favour of youth to contest the vacant seats

Others, however, believe their grit and determination are the only way out, as most dominant political parties sideline youthful prospects in favor of veteran politicians.

So intense is the youth agenda that the ODM party was forced to line up a battalion of youthful aspirants to contest in the impending by-elections in Ugunja and Kasipul. 

Unlike the past, where the party handed direct tickets to party favourites, the party conducted its primaries through universal suffrage and handed young people tickets in a poll marked by rigging claims.

In Kasipul, 27-year-old Boyd Were, the son of the former slain MP Charles Ongond'o, is hopeful of clinching the seat and becoming Nyanza's youngest MP after he won the ODM party primaries.

In the region, clinching the ODM party ticket increases the chances of a candidate winning a seat, given the strong support the party enjoys. In ODM's eyes, however, their endorsement of Boyd is a demonstration of their dedication to back the youth.

ODM Chairman in Kasipul Constituency Evance Ndege, said Boyd has the capability to complete the development projects his father started in Kasipul.

“This is someone who learnt many tactics his father used to apply in politics. We also have confidence in him because we have never heard of any adverse reports from KRA where has been working,” Ndege said.

He dismissed claims that Boyd is too young to lead the people of Kasipul as their next MP.

“This is an adult aged 27 years, hence nobody should perceive him as a child,” Ndege added.

Those interviewed disclosed that under the Gen Z movement and various social media platforms, youth are rallying their colleagues to come out and register as voters as the only way to elect leaders of their choice in the 2027 general election and take their rightful space in the country’s political sphere.

In Mombasa County, a Senate aspirant Mr Charles Mghenyi Mwanake said he was out to challenge the narrative where local politics has been attached to huge cash and endorsement by a single wealthy family.

Mwanake, 35, said he was out to pursuade the youth and the general voter population to have interest in the election following the low voter turnout witnessed in 2022 where less than 300,000 out of 500,000 registered voters voted.

‘I am telling the young people to register as voters and cast their votes to have a new crop of leaders in place. The only danger is that some young people are being used by the old crop of politicians to harass young aspirants. I urge the Gen Zs to come out and change the old narrative,’ he noted.

In the Rift Valley, young people have also started an initiative to challenge the Kenya Kwanza leadership and push for reforms. The youths have formed a political movement dubbed New Generation Aspirants (NGA) to push this change.

In a statement, during the Rift Valley region summit on Friday, NGA, initiated in April 2025, decried the sorry state of the Social Health Authority (SHA), terming it a monument of corruption.

They accuse the Kenya Kwanza government of hiding behind excuses, while the contributions by ordinary citizens are misappropriated and stolen through corruption.

NGA’s national chair, John Kamau, said that they had been approached with bribes and threats but have stood strong by ensuring they have a team full of new ideas and new faces.

“To ensure we are not swallowed by the government, we have identified people who are tired of the leadership, and we are moving across the regions to recruit,” he said.

Gen Zs from the larger Ukambani region sent out mixed signals about their willingness to exploit the opportunity presented by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to register as voters in preparation for the 2027 general election.

Jared Mueke, a Gen Z from Mbooni Constituency in Makueni County said he was ready to register as a voter alongside his wife to ensure they participate in deciding the country’s destiny in the 2027 general election.

“As a Gen Z, I am more than willing to register as a voter. I have the feeling that the Gen Z movement in Kenya will drive the necessary numbers to put the right leadership in place for our country,” he told The Standard in a telephone interview.

Report by Harold Odhiambo, Benard Lusigi, James Omoro, Olivia Odhiambo, Jane Mugambi, Erastus Mulwa, Daniel Chege, Renson Mnyamwezi, Marion Kithi and Patrick Beja